2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Koes
A surname derived from an early Germanic word meaning "boat."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Koes. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koes surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Koes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koes
The surname Koes is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old German word "kose," which meant a small dwelling or hut. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a modest abode or was associated with such dwellings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the margraviate of Brandenburg, dated around 1375. The document mentions a certain "Johannes Koes" as a witness to a land transaction.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various municipal records and chronicles from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. For instance, a "Hans Koes" is listed as a resident of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1456.
During the 16th century, the name underwent some variations in spelling, such as "Koeß" and "Köß," likely due to regional dialects and scribal practices. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Johann Koes (1518-1592), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Saxony.
In the 17th century, the name Koes appeared in various church records and census documents across German-speaking territories. One example is Johann Michael Koes (1632-1701), a Lutheran pastor and author from Nuremberg.
As the centuries progressed, the Koes surname spread to other parts of Europe, particularly through migration and trade. In the 19th century, a notable figure was Karl Koes (1828-1892), a German-American artist and lithographer who settled in New York and became renowned for his landscape paintings.
Other individuals with the surname Koes who achieved recognition in their respective fields include Wilhelm Koes (1836-1913), a German politician and member of the Reichstag, and Theodor Koes (1865-1923), a German architect and urban planner responsible for designing several prominent buildings in Berlin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koes
Among Census respondents with the surname Koes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Koes bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Koes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 7
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koes
Koes appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,468 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+18 bearers (+17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 16,924 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 11,468 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.8%) | Up 16,924 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Koes surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #159,712 | #142,788 | 10.6% |
| Count | 101 | 119 | 17.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 32.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koes bearers went from 101 to 119 (+17.8% change). The surname moved up 16,924 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #142,788.
FAQ
Koes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koes?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Koes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Koes?
Koes ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Koes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Koes.
Has Koes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koes went from 101 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 18 (+17.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Koes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Black (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Koes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (5.9%), Black (1.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Koes (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Koes mean?
A surname derived from an early Germanic word meaning "boat." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Koes (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Koes?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.